Consequences of Lost Love
by BuckNC2
Summary: [Completed]He lived his life without her and as he prepared to attend his retirement party from Quidditch he thought of his past and present. This is a very realistic HHr story from the point of view of Ron.
1. Chapter 1

**Title:** **_Consequences of Lost Love_**

**Summary:** He lived his life without her and as he prepared to attend his retirement party from Quidditch. He thought of his past and present. This is a very realistic H/Hr story from the point of view of Ron.

**Disclaimer**:_ All characters are the property of J. K. Rowling, and Time Warner. This is strictly for non-profit Internet entertainment use and if they sue me, I do not have a dime to my name._

**Author's Note: **_I've been rather disappointed with HarryHermione and DracoHermione writers who unrealistically portray the characters of Hermione, Harry, and especially Ron. A lot of these writers refuse to believe that you can actually portray Ron in-character and likeable to write a HarryHermione fic. With my fic I'm going to prove them wrong as it only requires a bit more work, research, and creativity to do just that. Now no matter what you think - this will be a Harry Hermione ship from beginning to end. _

**Do NOT leave a review until you read the entire story first!** How stupid can you be to criticze something without actually reading it first? Don't get me wrong but if you write "I don't have the time to read the rest of the story" on a chapter 1 review then why bother leaving a review? However, if you read the entire story first then feel free to flame or praise away. All I got to say is it's a good story and worthy of your time.

* * *

**Chapter 1 – The Beginning**

It wasn't as if Ronald Weasley didn't have a bit of fear about going through with his plan. To be honest he was scared of dying, who wouldn't be? He simple couldn't bare the opposite of dying; living day to day in a heartless world with little to nothing to show for it. Quite simply he had enough and tonight would be the date marked on his tombstone.

As he put a cork onto the vial of Eternal Sleep that he would drink later tonight, he briefly wondered if anyone years later would go visit his tombstone marker out of respect or love. The answer to his own question made him cast his eyes downward as he slid the potion underneath his dress robe.

_No one – not even Her. _

* * *

_**Fifteen years earlier**_

Ron seemed to wonder how he found himself on the living room couch with his nose stuck deep inside a book during his summer vacation. The answer why, announced herself in a puff of displeasure.

"_Humph._ Honestly, Ron, you should've been finished with that book an hour ago."

"Hermione, I don't read History books as fast as you. **No one does!**" Ron retorted too his girlfriend as he watched her crossed her arms over her chest at him.

Truth be told, he was having a hard time finding anything interesting about the life of Rowena Ravenclaw in the search for possible Horcruxes.

"Ron we need to – **oh never mind!**" Hermione exasperated with him snatched the book out of his hands and started to read it for herself.

"**Hermione!**" Ron cried resentfully. "I was reading it and if you don't want my help then why did you bother to ask?"

Hermione returned a pointed look at him before she bothered to answer him as if trying to summon the patience to answer a small child. "Because you're the only one I could come to. Harry is too—"

"Still brooding hmm?" Ron answered her with a look of concern as she mentioned Harry's bottled up anxiety of the loss of Professor Dumbledore and Ginny.

"Yes, I wish he would talk to me about it. I just can't seem to break him out of these mood spells he has." Hermione spoke of Harry with concern well-written all over her face.

Ron could understand his girlfriend's concern. Harry had practically closed himself off to the world even after getting him from his Uncle and Aunt's house a few days ago. They were all staying at the Burrow for Bill and Fleur's wedding before they would eventually leave to find the rest of the Horcruxes.

"He'll be fine. We just need to give him some time and space." Ron answered as he also noticed Hermione wearing a nice pair of blue jeans.

Hermione merely nodded in understanding at Ron, but continued to chew on her bottom lip in nervousness. Pushing thoughts of concern for his Best Mate toward the back of his mind, Ron took a longer look at how well Hermione was filling out her pair of blue jeans. By the time he stared up at her worried face all thoughts of his Best Mate or the search for Horcruxes was long gone. He thought with his Mum busy in the kitchen that he and Hermione could take a nice little walk outside to the swing and then maybe a nice long snog to follow.

"Hermione, why don't we take a break and walk outside. Maybe even take a swing for a few minutes." Ron asked, as he felt his voice drop a few octaves when he asked.

Hermione seemed to notice the change in his voice too and merely raised an eyebrow up at him as she calmly replied, "You mean another songfest. Honestly, Ron is that all you think about?"

_Yes._ Ron thought before he lied back to her. "No. That's not all I think about. I was just trying—"

Hermione interrupted firmly with a cold declaration. "I know what you were thinking and my answer is no."

Ron's face fell as he softly grumbled to himself about the loss opportunity they could've had. She didn't seem concerned as she stood up with the History book and spoke. "I'm going upstairs to talk with Harry."

Ron rolled his eyes at her that he understood more than her that Harry didn't want to be disturbed but ever since dating Hermione he's been letting her have her way more often then not without their usual arguing rows. As he started to stand up slowly to follow her, she held her hand out at him to stay.

"No, you stay here." Hermione ordered, tossing the History book back to Ron. "I'll go up there and talk to him – you read."

Ron frowned but held back his usual retort that she was going all about it wrong. He meekly nodded to her and reluctantly re-opened the book to the last page he was on as Hermione stormed up the stairs toward his room in the attic.

A few hours later he went upstairs to his room to tell Harry and Hermione that his mum had dinner ready. When he opened his door he found a smiling and giggling Hermione and to his surprise a smiling Harry sitting beside one another on his bed as if they were sharing a joke between them.

"Hey," Ron said to the both of them and briefly noticed a flash of disappointment on Hermione's face. "Mum has got dinner ready."

"Great, I'm starving." Harry answered back before almost dashing past Ron to go downstairs.

Ron gave a query look over at Hermione about Harry's new found mood and she only responded by shrugging her shoulders. In retrospect, what he should've noticed was the small red blush on Hermione's face as she quietly walked past him and headed down toward the kitchen without saying a word to Ron as she was deep in thought.

* * *

Years later he would remember that night as being the first of his many hints that something was wrong. He often wondered and wished had he had gone up with Hermione to talk with Harry that day, that things would be different in the present. The present he was determine to leave forever. 


	2. Chapter 2

* * *

**Chapter 2 – A Bloody day to forget**

* * *

For some reason and Ron Weasley had a good idea why his hands were shaking. Normally, he would blame it on pre-game nerves or another bout of the "shakes" from going cold turkey off alcohol. However, tonight was different in that it was neither, he was simply scared. He hadn't been this scared since -- since the day that he finally learned the truth.

* * *

**Fourteen and a half years ago**

"**HARRY!**" Ron screamed with all the air he could muster to use.

His left lung and chest was screaming in pain after Draco Malfoy hit him with a rather nasty hex just a moment before. Luckily, Draco was busying himself with making his escape thru the Forbidden Forest after seeing Voldemort fall dead from Harry's wand. Harry had fallen to a fetal position on the forest ground and from what Ron could see a strange red light blazed from his scar. Within seconds the red light diminished to nothing and Ron was able to see the scar on Harry's head was no longer there. Immediately after losing his scar Harry started to go into a seizure with his arms and legs shaking and trembling in tremors.

"**Aggh!**'" Hermione screamed on the other side of the circle that Voldemort had built to duel Harry with.

Ron looked over to see a bloody and bruise Hermione fall victim to a binding spell from Bellatrix LeStrange. He didn't even hesitate as he shot an Impediment curse at her from the other side of the circle near Harry. The spell hit her with such strength in the side and back that she was hurled slamming into an old oak tree. She was knocked out cold as her limp body felled gracelessly down off the side of the tree. He didn't even take the time to celebrate as he looked frantically around for his next enemy. He found Severus Snape no less then ten feet away with a wand pointed directly at his chest.

"You're a blood traitor, Weasley." Snape declared with the same tone that he used when he antagonized him during his Potions class.

Ron sneered at him in contempt before he replied back. "You're the traitor. Killed any Headmaster's lately?"

Snape didn't even bother to reply back to him as Ron felt the Cruciatus spell hit his entire body from Snape's wand. The pain was nothing short of breathtakingly horrible as every cartilage, muscle, nerve, and bone in his body screamed in pain. Pain like he never felt before as he listened to his own voice screaming throughout the forest. After a few seconds, the pain suddenly stopped as Snape took his attention off of Ron and over to Harry still helplessly shaking in a seizure on the ground. The sneer that spread across Snape's face told Ron what he was intended to do.

He couldn't let it happen. Harry was his Best Mate and Ron wasn't about to watch him die at the hands of the Half-blood Prince. With a strength and anger he never though he had within him he performed an Unforgivable Curse.

"**Avada Kedavra!**"

Snape after getting hit with a bright green light fell to the forest ground with the same evil sneer frozen to his soulless body. Moreover, Ron felt a part of his soul and magic darken after performing the spell. The killing curse would forever be etched in his own magic and wand.

He stumbled around in pain as he went to check on Harry and then Hermione. Luckily, Hermione after getting untied was able to sedate Harry and between the two of them with Ron magically levitating Harry and helping Hermione walk they were able to limp out of the Forbidden Forest to Hagrid's old hut by Hogwarts. Ron barely had enough energy left to go another foot as the last thing he remembered was passing out after knocking on Hagrid's hut.

* * *

"Will you look at that. I told you, George, that they would be able to find something when they did a scan of his thick head." A familiar voice said near him.

Ron slowly opened his eyes to see red-hair blurry people all around him.

"I would've thought it be nothing more than air," responded a voice that sounded like George's.

Ron looked over to see a blurry vision approach his face.

"**Ron! He's awake – Ron, talk to me! Can you say something!**"

Ron's vision started to clear as he saw the worried and crying face of Ginny staring at him.

"I… I'm fine, Ginny." Ron's throat was very raw as if he hasn't a drop of water in a week. "How's Hermione – and – Harry?"

Ron wasn't sure if his vision was still blurry as he noticed Ginny flinch as if she was choking back tears. Fortunately it was his Mum on the other side of his hospital bed that gave him the answers he wanted.

"They're fine, dear. You're at St. Mongo and Harry is in the next hospital room over and… Hermione's with him." Mrs. Weasley said, but for some strange reason she hesitated at saying Hermione was with him.

Ron didn't think anything of it at the time as he was just glad they all made it out alive. An impossible feat if someone had asked him beforehand. In fact, he meekly nodded his head as if nothing was out of the ordinary about his girlfriend seeing to his best friend. He foolishly thought she would come visit him later.

After three days of recuperating in his hospital bed without so much as one visit from Hermione, he was nothing short of furious with her and everybody else. Even the Healers were getting tired of his hateful mood. They had threatened him that if he wasn't nicer to the nurses and staff that he would be put on nothing but Nutritional Potions to eat. The same hospital Nutritional Potions that tasted something similar to molded old bread and toe jam.

_Where the bloody hell can she be? Three days! Something must be wrong – she would've gotten here by now._ Ron thought to himself as he forced himself to get out of bed for the first time.

At first everything was fine until he started to put some weight on his feet and he quickly went down like a broken broomstick. He yelled for help, but due to his own fault the nurses and staff was giving him a wide berth and so he was forced to pick himself off the floor. He used his wand on his second attempt to create a rudimentary wooden stick which helped him to steady himself without falling. He struggled as every breath pinched hard against his wounded lungs. The Healers said it still be a day or two before he was total cured from Draco's Dark Art curse.

"I hope Draco goes straight to Azkaban where he belongs," moaned Ron to himself as he fought for each step toward the door and out to across the hall where Harry's room was.

By the time he got to Harry's hospital door he could hear small giggles and wet noises that at the time he thought was from Harry and Ginny. In spite of his desire never to see Ginny and Harry kissing he was more concerned for where Hermione was and if she was truly alright. He slowly opened the door with his wand and was confronted with a sight that he couldn't believe.

"What the—"

"**Ek… Ron!**" Hermione grasped as she moved off Harry's lap with her lipstick smeared.

"**Ron, I can explain!**" Harry shouted with red lipstick all over his lips and cheeks.

"**Explain what! You … both of you—**"

Hermione and Harry both shared a guilty look of being caught and were both ashamed from it.

Ron had wanted to take his stick and beat Harry to death with it, but he had foolishly forgotten that it was the very thing that was supporting him to stand up with. As soon as he had lifted it to use as a weapon he crumbled to the floor and landed hard on his side. He immediately cried out in pain as if his lung was punctured all over again. This brought the healers and nurses who came running thinking it was the _Chosen One_ that was in pain and not the foolish, stupid, heart-broken, angry red-hair sidekick. Shortly thereafter he was unceremoniously dragged back to his room and immediately sedated and strapped to his bed. To which he set alone for a day and night until the Healers released him with a professional medical opinion that he was cured.

Hermione had tried twice to visit him to explain but he used every foul word he could think of to call her with. Mudblood was even used a few times and that was one of the nicer things he called her. He was furious and in spite of the Healers declaring him cured he carried with him a broken heart from that bloody day on.

* * *

**Present day**

Ron felt the monkey on his back as he remembered that day. The temporary cure of drowning his sorrows in fire-whiskey had caused him to go on a few drinking binges throughout the years since that day.

_No, I've been sober for seven years, three months, and twelve days. Not today – I want to have the nerve to take the potion._ Ron reasoned with himself against the ever present need to drink.

As if his body agreed with his mind he could feel the monkey loosening his hold on him. He was going to remain sober for his last night alive.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3 – Ruddy week**

* * *

Ron looked himself over one last time in the mirror by his front door before leaving. The reflection was of an athlete who look liked he played way too many years at Quidditch. Tonight's ceremony was suppose to give his body a rest from the sport and the people attending his Retirement party had no idea that he was going to do more than just that by the end of the night. 

"_Thirteen years. Four teams, Three League Cups, and one semi-final finish at the World Cup as the Starting Keeper."_ Ron thought of the words his agent, Stan Lipinski, would say of his Quidditch career as he was the host emcee at tonight's banquet. _Followed by a few of the cheapskate owners, "Mr. Prince was a determined player who played with a desire to win - blah, blah, blah." _

Ron smirked at himself as he imagined what a few of the owners really wanted to say about him. _He demanded more money than twice the Minister of Magic salary. He balked and refused to let us make any player trades or cuts that were detrimental to the team. He was the most difficult player I ever had to deal with and I for one him happy that he's retiring so I don't have to see him storming into my office whenever he felt like it._

Ron laughed as for the first time in his life he felt rather impressed with himself to come from such obscurity to having Quidditch League owners come to his Retirement party and kiss his arse over a plate of Beef Wellington.

_Oh if those bloody owners could've seen me after I got out of the hospital fourteen years ago. Merlin, they be the one's laughing. _

* * *

**Fourteen Years earlier after getting out of the Hospital**

Ron felt miserable and he made sure that everyone around him knew it. He hexed the twins twice after they attempted to cheer him up in his room and yelled at his Mum anytime she mentioned the status of Harry still in the hospital. Ron told her right quick that he didn't want to hear about Harry bloody Potter and how he was slowly recovering under the stolen love of his scarlet ex-girlfriend. He wanted nothing to do with Harry or Hermione and he made it clearer when Hedwig showed up with some of Harry's letters that he was as un-welcomed as his master.

"**And don't you ever come back here!**" Ron screamed out his window as he shot a few hexes at a startled Hedwig who was quickly re-routing his flight back to the hospital.

-Knock- -knock-

Ron lost his smile at frightening off Hedwig to bewilderment at who was stupid enough to bother him in his room. He hadn't stepped a foot outside his room for an entire week and made it clear to everyone that he didn't even want to.

"Ron, it's me" Ginny announced in a week voice from behind his door.

"BUG—" Ron stopped himself as the realization that there was someone else just as hurt as he was.

_Ginny, oh Merlin – No!_ Ron thought of how hurt and alone his sister must've been feeling as he shoved his own pain away and rushed to his door.

"Ginny, I'm sorry." Ron declared as he gave the counter-spell to the magical locking spell on his door.

As Ron opened the door he saw his sister wearing a face of anger at him. However, Ginny also had puffiness around her eyes where she must've been crying for days and it was obvious her anger was more for show than anything else. His heart leaped to her defense as he instinctively reached out to hug her for sympathy.

She pushed him back before he enveloped her with a hug as she was determined to be strong. "Let go of me. You've been acting like a git for an entire week and I'm sick of it."

Ron's anger and pride was quick to return as he wasn't about to get lecture like his Mum tried three days ago.

"I told everyone to leave me alone. What I got to do to get that through your thick heads?"

Ginny didn't even flinch as she kept on rowing with him.

"Thick? The only thick one around here is you, Ronald Weasley. You've been acting like a git long enough and I'm not bringing another plate of food up here ever again. So if you want to starve to death up here, **fine by me!**"

With that Ginny stormed downstairs leaving Ron with a decision of being obstinate and hungry or humble and well-fed at the family table downstairs. His decision didn't take long after smelling his Mum's cooking and the growling from his stomach. He swallowed his pride and headed downstairs toward his usual seat at the family table. He quietly settled into his seat before looking up at the rest of his family.

What he saw was a mixture of looks from his family. He got a look of pity from Bill his older brother. Fleur was carrying a look of disgust at having to eat her mother-in-law's cooking yet again. Fred and George were both carrying a look that the hex they received this week from Ron wasn't going to go by unsettled. Charlie, however, was trying to offer Ron a smile and support but it was short-lived as Percy seemed to be determined to carry a conversation about how well the Ministry was cleaning up from the last battle. It brought frowns out of the rest of his family, himself included.

"Oi, Percy, shut your flap about the Ministry or will stick a—" Fred griped at his older brother.

His Mum was quick to interrupt and come to the aid of Percy yet again. "**You will do no such thing!** That goes for the both of you and I better not see any of your silly little inventions coming out during dinner."

Fred and George both frowned and gave a small glance over in Ron's directions before they slumped their shoulders in momentary defeat or in their case - retreat. Ron didn't study them any longer as he looked over at Ginny sitting beside him. She was rolling her peas around on her plate and listening into the conversations as usual, but she definitely lacked the confidence to join in. He felt guilty at not having thought about her also being hurt by Harry cheating with Hermione. It was somewhat understood that after the fall of Voldemort that Harry would rekindle his relationship with Ginny. To which Ginny had remain a virtual un-dateable girl as she refused offer after offer from the rest of the male population at Hogwarts. She remained faithful to the day that Voldemort would die and Harry would come back to her.

Ron's heart felt pain for his sister's lost and his anger toward his ex-best friends only increased ten-fold. He silently slid his hand over to her and squeezed her hand for comfort. She almost jumped from the touch and then immediately jerked her hand away in anger. For whatever reason, Ron could sense from Ginny's scowl that she didn't want any sympathy from him or anybody else. As he started to get red-face under his little sister angry stare he noticed that he hadn't touch a single thing on his plate. For Ron not to be woofing down food was clearly noticeable to the rest of the family, especially after his Mum called him out on it.

"Ron, you haven't touched anything since you come down. Now eat up."

Ron merely grunted compliance at his Mum and everyone else who was suddenly appraising his actions. Unfortunately his actions were about to go far worse then he ever imagined.

"Now Ron, I realize that… matters are a bit awkward with Harry—"

"I don't want to talk about it," Ron snapped as his mum before she even finished her statement.

His mum seemed to be understanding of both Ron and even Ginny, but for some reason she kept trying to press a point.

"I understand, Ronald, but never-the-less I've been informed by the Order that certain un-savory elements might be coming after Harry, especially after the death of You-know-who. So the Order and I, as well as Arthur, feel that it will be best—"

Ginny shrieked in fear and Ron dropped his fork before his Mum could finish her sentence aloud around the family dinner table.

"**NO BLOODY WAY!**" Ron roared to his Mum with as much absolutism as he could muster.

His Mum gasped in air at what Ron had just said and how he said it.

"Ronald, watch your language at my table or I'll fill your mouth with soap."

"Mum, he's not staying." Ron declared, ignoring his Mum's anger for using profanity at the dinner table.

His Mum seemed to be fidgeting with her hands and apron before she tried to calmly reply back. "Well… that is… we certainly will take your suggestion into consideration and hopefully—"

Ginny reached over and squeezed Ron's left hand in fear giving him the strength to push on against his Mum's wishes.

"**Mum, he's cheating with Hermione!**"

"Ronald, I'm not saying—"

-Click-

The noise of the Weasley family clock clicked with a spoon moving toward traveling. As Ron looked closer his eyes couldn't believe what he was seeing. It was the picture of a smiling Harry Potter on a small silver spoon.

"You didn't," Ron muttered in shock before turning his head around to hear voices outside the Burrows front door.

Fred and George immediately jumped up into a defensive stand between Ron and the front door.

"Now, Ron, no need to get bent all out of shape over this," implored Fred trying to calm down Ron and the situation.

"After all, he'll be staying in our old room not yours." George added, with his hands up and out to stop Ron from running to the door and beating a certain someone to death for trying to step a foot into his house.

"Ron, Ginny in spite – of certain – I consider him a member of this family and he's our guest until it's safe for him--"

-Knock- -Knock-

Ron looked in horror at the front door to the face of his father who hanged his head to avoid his stare. Bill, Percy, and Charlie all followed suit as they didn't want to make eye contact with him either. The twins carried looks of worried on their face not for his sake but for what they thought he would do to their financial backer and friend, Harry. Fleur seemed totally oblivious to it all as this didn't even concern her. She was probably more interested in telling his Mum how well she could cook better than her. Even Ginny looked away by trying to look calm as she stared straight ahead as if nothing was about to happen.

"I'm coming," his Mum bellowed to outside.

Ron couldn't stand to see him for even a second and turned to make a hasty retreat upstairs back to his room. In the process he noticed the sneer of contempt as if he was a coward from Fred and George as they were guarding the path to the door. He ignored it and started making his way upstairs, but by then it was too late.

"Hello Lupin, hello Harry. Come in, come in you must be famished.

Harry seemed to be in a cheerful mood as he warmly replied, "Thank you, Mrs. Weasley. I'm glad to be out—"

Ron stopped climbing the stairs as the sound of his ex-Best mate's voice was like fingernails scrapping across a chalkboard to him. He turned and looked down at Harry standing at the door with Professor Lupin with as much anger as he could muster.

"Ron… Listen mate—"

The word '_mate_' coming from his lips was the most sick and vilest thing he had ever heard. He didn't he realized he pulled out his wand and was aiming it at Harry's chest. Upon seeing the anger directed at Harry, Professor Lupin stepped in front of a guilty looking Harry blocking Ron from hexing him.

"Hello, Ronald, I'm happy to see you that you're alright." Professor Lupin diplomatically said in his most cordial of voices to defuse the tense situation.

The twins however weren't going to attempt diplomacy and immediately shot off a few spells of their own. Fred's spell missed his head, but George's didn't. Ron felt a huge roll of laughter bellow out of his mouth as if someone was tickling his entire body. It was the Rictusempra spell, like the one he got in the Dept. of Mysteries, except this time Ron was determined to make a better showing of himself.

"**HAHAHA! Reducto! HAAHA!**" Ron shouted while holding onto his stomach as he started giving belly laughs.

Oh how he hated that bloody spell. Unfortunately, Ron wasn't thinking clearly as he not only missed Fred and George but managed to hit his Mum's china cabinet behind them.

-**CRASH!**-

The cabinet blew up in a thousand pieces sending wood, five generations and two wars carried china porcelain flying throughout the living room. Professor Lupin jumped heroically to shield Harry with his body while Fred and George weren't so lucky. They took the brunt of the blast and flying pieces that knocked them straight down to the floor. Their backs were covered with splattered blood and pieces of wood and porcelain wedged into their backs. Even his mum managed to get a few scrapes on her face as chards of porcelain flew across the room like shrapnel hitting her in the arms, chest, and cheeks.

"**HA-HA! Fred? HAHA George? HAAHA!**"

"**Boys! My China!**" Mrs. Weasley shrieked in anger as she pointed her wand at the debris that landed on top of the twins and magically levitated it off them before directing her anger at Ron.

Ron's only reaction to this carnage he caused was to continue laughing under the laughing spell. It was Professor Lupin who had the where with all to end his laughing torture.

"Finite Incantatum."

Ron instantly felt the spell lift and quickly took the initiative.

"**Expelliarmus!**"

Professor Lupin's wand went flying out of his hand and Harry held his other arm to stop him from getting it. Harry bravely stepped in front of Lupin looking directly at an enraged Ron.

"Now, Ron, please calm down and don't do anything more that you'll regret." Harry pleaded to him with his right hand close to his wand in his pants.

By now everybody including those that were in the kitchen was watching Ron from the living room. He knew he was in trouble and he probably should've calmed down but one look at his crying sister and he didn't.

"**Levicorpus!**" Ron thought before Harry could yank out his wand. "Calm down? No, I don't think I will."

Harry yelled, "**Ron, stop!**" as his heel was wrenched upward and he was dangling upside down with his clothes hanging off him.

"**Ronald! You put him down this instance!**" His Mum roared at him as she pointed her wand at him.

"Mum, stay out of it—"

"**Impedimenta!**"

Ron was hit with so much magic that the blast flew him backward against the staircase wall and then bounced him down the steps before he finally stopped crooked on the bottom step.

"**Aggh!**" Harry screamed as he also fell to the living room floor.

"**Harry!**" His Mum, Fleur, and Ginny bawled as they ran over to him.

"**Ron!**" His brothers Charlie, Bill, and Percy bawled as they ran over to Ron as he was shaking his head to clear it.

Ron shook his head to see not only his sister but his own mother helping Harry up. He felt like he was being betrayed all over again. He pushed his brothers' aside and picked up his wand.

"Maybe, I should go stay some—," Harry suggested to his mum and the family.

"**No, I won't hear of it! You're staying here--"**

"Then I'm leaving, but for good." Ron's anger and pride demanded for him to say something about how he felt about his Mum siding with the bloody Chosen One.

"**Ronald Weasley! You… you--"**

"Save it. I guess Malfoy was right after all." Ron stated as he walked toward the front door and purposefully bumped Harry in the shoulder on the way.

His last statement caught everyone in a gulping silence at his reaction and statement. He wasn't even aware of what he was going to say next as he merely spitted out whatever he felt at the moment.

"He said the Weasleys' are nothing but a bunch of Blood Traitors but I would've never imagined he would be right about you betraying your own blood."

-**SLAM!**-

* * *

**Present Day **

Ron frowned at his image but decided it wasn't as ruddy as anything else he owned. In his haste to have his Retirement Party three days before November 9th; he had to forgo the tailoring of a proper Dress robe to wear. Of course what he was wearing was most certainly better than what he wore the last time he was allowed at the Burrow. That infamous day he had lost his family and left with only the shirt on his back. He often wondered to this day if his picture was still on a spoon on the family clock. He wouldn't be too surprised to hear if it wasn't.


	4. Chapter 4

**Author Notes: _I want to thank everyone for reading._**

**GEmory: _Thanks, I thrilled that you likes it. It's rather hard to read an angst versus a romantic fic._**

**killerorange: _Thanks, I always felt a story about not getting the girls of your dreams should be written. Hope you enjoy it._**

**

* * *

**

**Chapter 4 - Tryouts**

Ron took one last look before he closed the door to his flat. By most standards Ron had done pretty well for himself as he looked over his three-story flat in downtown Muggle London. He had a large kitchen, four bedrooms, and a huge living room with a fireplace. The only thing missing was a woman's touch and it seemed to reflect not on just his flat but on his life as well. It was never as warm as the Burrow no matter where he stayed or lived.

* * *

_**After Ron left home thirteen years ago**_

Ron was sitting on a park bench near downtown Muggle London as he had no where else to go or live. He was broke and unlike Harry or even Hermione he didn't have a Gringotts vault filled with money to help him out. He was even considering taking a Muggle job. Although, he really didn't want too especially with him starting Auror training in a week, but he knew he would need a place to live in the meantime.

"Awk."

Ron looked up into the foggy sky to see a brown Ministry owl flying downward to him. The owl gracefully tucked in its wings and landed right next to him on the park bench.

"For me? Thanks." Ron said and then untied the letter from the Owl's leg after it nodded yes.

After he untied the letter, he was not too subtle bitten in the arm by the insistent Owl.

"I'm sorry, I don't have any Owl treats." Ron told the Owl feeling a little bit ashamed at how poor he was.

The disappointed Owl nastily responded by scratching Ron across the arm as it flew off.

"**Ow! You bloody menace!**" Ron shouted at the Owl as it flew away before he started to read his letter.

_November 9th, 2002_

_To: Ronald B. Weasley_

_From: Auror Headquarters, _

_Ministry of Magic_

_Subject: Reconsideration of your acceptance into the Auror Training Program_

_Dear Mr. Weasley,_

_As you are well aware the insurrection has ended with the death of You-Know-Who and the capture of several Death Eaters. Regretfully, we at this time no longer require your services at the Ministry and have revoked your acceptance into the Ministry's Auror Training Program. If you have any questions or concerns then please direct them to this office. _

_Mafalda Hophirk_

_Auror Headquarters,_

_Ministry of Magic_

Ron gulped for air and then he re-read it again to be sure. _No, please Merlin no! I passed my OWLs'! I passed my NEWTs'! What the--_ Ron angrily thought to himself at all the years of extra worked he put into passing all of his exams at Hogwarts.

"**Bugger!**" He screamed into the deserted foggy night. "**It's not fair!**"

There was no answer only silences as Ron ripped the latter into tiny bits. "I worked my arse off to pass all those NEWTs'. **What did I get for it! No job, no stinking family, no place to live, no BEST FRIENDS, NO – NO GIRLFRIEND! WHAT NEXT?**"

More cold silence as Ron breathed rapidly and was deep in thought and anger. That's when it finally hit him, he was alone.

He had to spend that night sleeping on a park bench and when he woke up the next morning he took a job working at a Muggle pub on the east end of London. The pay was for room and board next to the water heater in the basement. He had tenaciously worked there in solitude for over three months before he got news of the Wizarding world again. It was purely by accident as he was dumping the nightly trash into a dumpster a block over from his pub. There he found an old copy of the Daily Prophet lying in the rubbish. What he saw on the front page was a giant picture of Harry meeting a smiling Hermione outside of the Ministry's visitor's entrance.

_The Chosen One was caught last night leaving the Ministry building after a day of Auror training to escort Miss. Hermione Granger on a night on the town. Sources close to the young couple had revealed that after completing Auror Training that they will be looking to get married—_

Ron admittedly never read the rest as he was too busy upchucking in the dumpster. Shortly thereafter he solemnly vowed to get a real wizarding job by trying out for a Reserve Keeper position with the Chudley Cannons. Years later he would point to that very paper as the reason he started a Quidditch career.

He practiced playing Quidditch every morning and afternoon in a deserted warehouse before working every night back at the pub. He was so excited at flying again it helped keep his mind off his ex-friends and family and by the time he went for tryouts he was fairly confident he would win it. Nevertheless, he was wrong and the problem was once again due to his ex-Mate and ex-girlfriend.

The morning of the tryouts he met an old friend and fellow Gryffindor housemate, Oliver Wood. Oliver was now an assistant coach with the Cannons and was one of the judges evaluating the tryouts. Unfortunately, Oliver was also a huge fan and friend of Harry _bloody_ Potter.

"Oi - you're Harry's friend?" Oliver asked him as he crossed the field and headed toward the back of the line where Ron was standing.

Ron seemed a bit put out that Oliver wouldn't know his name seeing how he was his replacement at the Gryffindor Keeper position after he graduated. Still, Ron bit his tongue and forced a small smile to one of his judges.

"Yeah… I used to be."

Oliver seemed a bit surprise to hear that coming from Ron. "Really, both of you used to be thick as thieves? Rupert, right?"

Ron inwardly groaned before correcting Oliver. "No, it's Ronald Weasley." Ron even had the good decency to offer his hand out to shake Oliver's.

Oliver shook it and asked, "Ronald? Oh wait, I remember, Harry told me about you. You were my replacement and you had a mental problem with your game. Right?"

Ron groaned outwardly this time as he wished Harry would get sucked dry by a covenant of vampires. The people standing in line in front of him started to chuckle and smirk at him as they too were waiting for the tryouts to begin. Ron could feel his face going red from the embarrassment and loudly corrected Oliver for everyone to hear.

"**NO, I DON'T HAVE A MENTAL PROBLEM! AND YES I WAS YOUR REPLACEMENT THAT WON THE NEXT TWO QUIDDITCH CUPS WITHOUT YOU!**"

Oliver's eyelids shot up and he backed up a little away from Ron's outburst. "Ah… well okay. Good luck today." Oliver quickly retreated back across the field and the people in line in front of Ron determinedly looked straight ahead away from his scowl.

Then when it came his turn to tryout it didn't take long for him to realize he was nothing short of bloody useless. His head was swimming with the image of Harry holding Hermione on his lap and kissing her at the hospital, followed with the picture of Harry meeting a smiling Hermione outside the Ministry. He couldn't stop a single Chaser from scoring and was quickly judged by the Cannons' Head Coach as he yelled, "**Next!**"

Ron bowed his head and landed without so much as saying a word in his defense. He didn't even want to look up and see the expression on Oliver's face because he played horrible and he knew why. He had a mental problem and to make matters worse, he had no bloody idea how to beat the cheating image of Harry and Hermione out of his thought and his wounded heart.

* * *

**Present Day**

Ron locked his front door and started to walkpass his red Muggle Sports car parked in front of his flat. He wanted to walk the distance to the Quidditch Hall of Fame where his banquet was being held.

_I wish Oliver could've made it._ Ron thought about his Quidditch mentor being out of the country and not able to make his Retirement party. _I wouldn't have made it without him._


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note:_ Sorry for the long wait. I was on a business trip for a while and wasn't able to post. The good news is I already finished the story and should have it all posted by the end of this week. A special thanks to GEmory, and Killerorange for posting reviews._**

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**Chapter 5 – Ron Prince**

As Ron casually walked the streets of East London toward the Quidditch museum he would stop from time to time to see through the store windows at various Muggle contraptions. Moving Pictures or huge Wireless boxes were prominent in most windows, but what interested him most were the Jewelry stores. They displayed various diamond wedding rings from the cheap to the expensive that always managed to catch his eyes. One rather expensive diamond ring in particular matched one he though of often.

* * *

**A Week after Tryouts**

Ron had been cleaning out the back storage room and was about to take a well-deserved break for dinner when he heard a familiar voice in the pub.

"Excuse me, I'm looking for a Ronald Weasley, has anyone seen him?"

Ron inwardly groaned as he recognized the voice of Oliver Wood. He walked out of the back storage room to the bar before addressing Oliver.

"What can I do you for Wood?"

Oliver seemed to flinch at Ron's question, but Ron wasn't sure if it was from his bluntness of his question or from his dirty appearance. Either way there wasn't much Ron could've done, as he didn't have much time for a chat or the money to get new clothes.

Oliver offered a brief nod before saying what he had on his mind.

"I was wondering if we could… have a little chat in private."

Ron nodded back to him as he also noticed several of the other patrons listening in on their conversation. He pointed out a small booth away from the rest of the crowd where they could have a conversation in private.

After they set down, Ron was the first to start things off.

"So what are you doing here?"

Oliver sensing Ron's directness reciprocated.

"I came here to give you a second chance."

The news shocked Ron as he set back deep into his chair and waited for Oliver to add more on the subject.

"Not with the Cannons of course, but with another—"

Ron interrupted him to ask, "Why, I was horrible last week."

Oliver smiled and shook his head in agreement. "You were that. For someone without a mental problem you sure do display all the symptoms of—"

"Yeah, I know." Ron frowned at this. "I got a mental problem, but why would you help me out? Last week you didn't even know my name."

Oliver pulled out a Hogwarts letter and a picture from his jacket and slides it across the table toward him.

"I write to Professor McGonagall from time to time and I wrote to her about your tryout. To my surprise she wrote back that you have a mental problem—"

"**I know I have a mental problem!** No need to keep reminding me of it. I was bloody there, remember?" Ron bawled in anger at Oliver's sarcasm for constantly reminding him of it.

"Yes, well anyway -- she also wrote that in her thirty some years teaching that you were one of the best players every to play the position of Keeper. She even told me that when you were on game that you were virtually unbeatable."

Ron merely smirked at his Ex-Head of House's favorable comments as Oliver kept talking.

"Keep in mind I had to send a second letter back to verify that it was you she was talking about."

Ron's smirk immediately switched to a frown as Oliver kept on talking.

"She replied back that it was indeed you and sent a picture of you holding up the Quidditch Cup a year after I graduated. Then she went on to say that you were twice as good as I ever was. Hard to imagine isn't it?"

Ron rolled his eyes at Oliver's modesty about playing Keeper and then looked down at a wizard's moving picture of one of the happiest moments of his life. The pictures showed him holding up the Cup in excitement on the shoulders of his celebrating fellow housemates. It also reminded him what he was looking for as he was being carried off the field, Harry and Hermione. They at the time were noticeably absent from the celebration. Eventually, he found out later they had their own adventure with Hagrid and Grawp and maybe doing something else he wondered in jealousy.

Ron quickly tossed the picture back to Oliver with a look of anger for being reminded yet again.

Oliver's eyes lit up at his actions as he noticed the hard look Ron was giving him.

"Nice, now what's your real reason for being here?"

Oliver had about enough of Ron's attitude and started to tell him so. "Listen if you want to be an arse go right ahead, but I'm not going to waste my time—"

With that Oliver started to get up from the booth and was going to leave before Ron stopped him by reaching out and grabbing his arm.

"Wait. Uh… sorry. It's just—"

"What's really bothering you? I mean why are you working here and not some —," inquired Oliver with a tense Ron still holding his arm.

"It's… complicated," Ron offered in his defense, as he really didn't want to talk about the past.

Oliver slowly set back down in his seat willing to give Ron one more try, but not without knowing what truly happen.

"Tell me anyway. It might help you get rid of your mental problem."

Ron exhaled in reluctance before he told his tale to Oliver. Oliver quietly set there and listened from everything about searching for the Horcruxes, dating Hermione, to fighting Voldemort, killing Snape to save Harry, saving Harry by carrying him off to Hagrid's hut, to finding out about Harry and Hermione at the hospital, and then losing his family. It took well over thirty minutes and several death glares at the owner of the pub to leave them alone before he finished.

However, Oliver's reaction wasn't exactly what he expected or hoped. It would've been nice to hear words of agreement that Harry and Hermione betrayed him and their friendship, but instead Oliver was determinedly going to sit on the fence and not blame anyone.

"I'm sure Harry feels differently about this and from what I've heard from the press—"

"He's a back-stabbing git and as far as I can see anyone that thinks different is rubbish." Ron interrupted to tell Oliver how he stood on the issue.

Oliver wisely said nothing more on the issue, but Ron clearly got the sense that Oliver was on Harry's side. He shouldn't had expected anything different he told himself, before making his goodbye to Oliver and reluctantly getting back to work before he got fired.

"Thanks for stopping by and you can tell Professor McGonagall, I'm fine."

As Ron got up from the table and made his way back to the back of the pub, he heard Oliver from over his shoulder. "There will be a tryout for a Reserve Keeper next week with the Wimbourne Wasps. I could meet you after work if you need any help. If not - good luck with yourself, Ron."

Ron turned around and saw a serious looking Oliver staring at him and then he abruptly left the pub without saying a word more on the subject. If there was one thing Oliver Wood believed in, then it was the seriousness of playing and practicing Quidditch. He was fanatical about it and for the rest of the next week Oliver trained and pushed Ron father than he ever pushed himself. It was also his idea to use a pseudo name to help him get a new start. He told him about players sometimes changing their names to be more marketable with the endorsers and owners. From players like Tornado Lance who was a star Seeker for the Tutshill Tornados to Ace Rogers of the Montrose Magpies. Apparently, Ace's real name, Walishstronauski, was longer than the back of his uniform and would've required two lines and a good bit of help for the fans and announcers to pronounce it right. That's when Oliver suggested he use a new player name to help him get over his mental problem. For some reason as if a voice from the back of his head was talking to him he chose Ron Prince. He had a feeling the name, Prince, undertone in his head from the part of Severus Snape's soul that he still carried with him in his wand. It also seemed to fit his dark mood toward his ex-family and his ex-friends who hadn't even bother to send him so much as a letter since he left. They would be less than pleased to hear of his name change and he felt a great deal happy about it. To that end he brewed a hair color-changing potion that turned his hair from brash red to dark black.

A confident and bold Ron Prince was borne and he was quickly the newest sensation to hit Quidditch. As for old Ron Weasley, he wasn't seen for at least a year after making the Wasps team as Keeper. The old Ron Weasley finally reappeared on a middle of a road trip where he picked up the Daily Prophet to read that the _The Chosen One_ had proposed to Miss. Hermione Granger with a one-carat white gold ring.

* * *

**Today **

Ron was staring at a big white gold diamond engagement ring through the store window and wished for the last time that he were the one that had bought it to give to Hermione. He said nothing as a beautiful Muggle clerk stuck her head outside the store door to ask if he would like to come in, instead he carried on down the street with his hands in his pockets, and his head dropped.


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note:** _It's my intent not to show Harry or Hermione in a negative light nor Out of Character. Well as much as Out of Character you can not have for a Harry Hermione ship fic. I hope that you see what I'm trying to accomplish by writing this in the Harry Hermione category. Quite simply, I'm trying to paint this as realistic as possible through the eyes of Ron. _

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**Chapter 6 – You are cordially invited to the wedding**

As Ron walked past a Muggle wedding shop, he disappointedly sneered at some of the less than tacky displays. The off-color of pastels mixed with dark colors on invitations, napkins, and clothes seemed to grab him the most. He scoffed at how silly they looked and thought how hideously the new wave of Modern weddings looked compared to traditional.

Most blokes didn't give a Knut about their own weddings and left the decisions to their future wives, but for Ron he had been converted to a true believer. He was educated to see the brilliance of matching colors and dazzling grace of a proper wedding. The only problem being it was never his wedding where he learned it.

* * *

**A day after reading the Announcement of Mr. Harry Potter and Miss. Hermione Granger engagement**

The old Ronald Weasley stirred alive with jealousy and contempt at what he read. He seemed even more disgusted at the wizard moving picture of the smiling faces of his ex-friends as they displayed the engagement ring to the press before passionately kissing one another. For the rest of the day and night he silently brooded until a few minutes before game time.

"**Bloody wanker!**" Ron roared gaining the attention of his teammates about to suit up for their game with the Arrows.

"You okay, Ron?" A concerned Head Coach Perkins asked him from over his chart of Quidditch plays.

Ron hadn't even noticed that the Head Coach was talking to him or that most of the other players were staring at him.

"I can't believe she would —" Ron muttered to himself.

"**Ron! Are you with us?**" Roared his coach indignantly.

Ron's attention quickly moved across the room toward the coach after hearing his name spoken. To his surprise and horror everyone in the locker room was silently staring at him.

The coach realizing he finally had Ron's attention shook his head then finished with the plays they would be running against the Arrows. Not that Ron Weasley was going to stay long in the game to see them. It wasn't long into the game before the score jumped to 80-10 with Ron once again realizing he had a mental problem. He was quickly replaced by his angry coach.

"**Prince, that was the worst performance… go take a shower!**"

Ron nodded his head at his incensed Head Coach and was inwardly happy to be taken out of the game. He was horrible and with every failed attempt at stopping Chasers from scoring he kept thinking more about Harry and Hermione getting married. He knew he had to do something, but as usual he didn't have an idea what. It wasn't until he slammed the front headline of the Daily Prophet paper down in his locker did he noticed the small article that would help him.

_Tomorrow a one-day only Author signing of Ancient Ruins books by Mrs. C.S. Lewis at Flourish and Blotts._

He knew what he had to do.

The next day while standing a discreet distance from the small line inside Flourish and Blotts store on Diagon Alley, Ron waited. He was certain that his hunch would pay off and he wasn't disappointed to see a smiling bushy hair girl step into the store.

_Hermione._ Ron thought as his tongue went dry from seeing her again. She was even more beautiful then the last time he seen her as if she had fully grown into a woman. The only thing off was her hair; she seemed to have cut it into a more manageable length. The only problem being was that it robbed her of the untamed essences that Ron loved about her so much. She had the appearance of a Ministry worker and was not the way he remembered her.

He gulped in fear, before moving silently across the store to stand a few people behind her. After Hermione bought the autographed book and chatted with the author she went to a secluded corner of the store and set down at a table to briefly read the book she had just bought. Ron recognized that this was the Hermione he knew, the way she would dive earnestly into some mundane and boring book for hours on end. She had spent so many hours at reading that it was often he that had to go down into Hogwarts library to drag her out. He cautiously walked up behind her before making his presences known.

"Why?"

"Eek," Hermione jumped and managed to spill the book off the table.

"Why Hermione?"

Hermione slowly turned her head to see Ron watching her with his hands across his chest. He was a strong twenty-year old wizard with dark black hair staring at her with the look of hurt well written across his face. In spite of that Hermione had to guess out his name as if she wasn't sure.

"Ron?"

"Why him… why didn't you tell me?"

Hermione face went white has she moved her hand out to touch Ron to see if he was real. Only when she touched his arm did she gain the courage to speak to him.

"I'm… where have you been? We've been worried sick—"

Ron loudly interrupted her and gained the attention of everyone in the store, as he didn't want to listen to her bossing him around. She had lost that right a long time ago.

"**WHY HERMIONE! WHY DID YOU CHEAT ON ME!**"

Hermione's face seemed to go whiter as she stopped talking for a moment and looked at the rage in Ron's eyes.

"I'm sorry, Ron. I… we should've told you sooner but it was the war and –"

Her so called logical answer only seemed to enrage Ron even more. "**THE WAR! Don't give me that bloody dung! Now why, Hermione!**"

Ron's words seemed to bring a defiant and strong Hermione back as she retorted, "Ron, watch your language we're in public."

Ron didn't even replied as he snatched her hand and dragged her fighting and twisting to break free from his grip out of the store and down a secluded alley for privacy away from the whispering witches and wizards watching them. He pitched her down hard to the stone cobbled ground when he got to the back of the alley.

"Now why, Hermione? You owe me that at least."

Hermione was crying as she tried to crawl away from Ron. She even tried to pull out her wand, but Ron already had his out and he was pointing it at her chest. His last threat would have to loosen her tongue.

"You're going to tell me one way or another."

Hermione understood his implication as she saw sparks fling out of his wand. No doubt, she was stalling for time until help arrived or hoping to calm him down before he had to hex her. Nevertheless, Ron wanted answers and if he had to face an entire squad of Aurors then he would do it.

"Ron, please calm down. I'll… I'll tell you whatever you want to know." Hermione bravely replied.

"Why Harry and for how long?"

Hermione looked around the corner of the alley trying to gauge the time it would take before helped arrived before answering. That's when he shot a rather nasty Boil hex at her that purposefully missed her head by a few inches to regain her attention.

"I'm sorry… " Hermione yelped as she started to panic in fear. Reluctantly she finally answered Ron's questions. "Harry… I—"

Ron shot another hex near her feet, before demanding for her to tell him the truth. "You what?"

"We get along better and… and… I felt more secure around him."

The truth hurt as Ron listened without saying anything more.

"He was the only one that could stop Voldemort and I … I was scarred. Then… it just happened… we didn't mean for it to happen… it just did. Please Ron." Hermione was on her knees and crying as she begged for forgiveness, but it was the look in her eyes that interested Ron. He saw the look of guilt in her face for the first time and it was a look he didn't like. He purposefully looked away as she crawled over to him and hugged his leg begging for forgiveness.

"I'm sorry Ron, please… please" Hermione cried to him as he yanked his leg from out of her grip.

It was the voices coming down the alleyway that finally seemed to stop her crying.

"**Oi, Hermione!**"

Ron recognized the voice of Fred and had turned around to send them away. Instead he had to shield himself from a spell that George had shot at him. Luckily, his Quidditch toned reflexes were twice as fast as Fred and George.

"**Fred, George - it's Ron**," yelled Hermione to them.

He shot an Impediment spell at Fred and then George before they could react. Both went sailing backwards into the brick walls on the alleyway and by the time they bounced off the walls they were both knocked out from the blast. Unfortunately, Hermione had used the time to pull out her wand and Ron could feel she had it pointed at his back. He didn't even bother turning around as he addressed her.

"Go ahead, it's what your good at. Stabbing me in the back."

Ron heard a soft whimper followed by a muffled sob that his mark hit her better than any spell could.

"I loved you more than any man alive, including Harry. And if you can't see that you're not the smartest witch you think you are."

With that he had left the Alley without so much as saying another word to Hermione. In fact, those were his last words to her. He had to sneak into their wedding under a Polypotions disguise as a distant Muggle relative of Hermione's. That's when he was educated about weddings as he marveled at the brilliance of every detail that Hermione put into it. It was a wedding of elegance, and beauty. She had managed to put a regal look to everything from the silverware to the flowers. Even the weather played against him by offering a warm April afternoon.

All he could do was silently cry as he watched the beautiful Hermione wearing a long white train and dress march down the aisle to marry Harry "bloody" Potter. She was beautiful and his heart raced then shattered when she said, "I do."

* * *

**Present day **

Ron turned away from the Muggle wedding shop to think of all the preparations he made for his retirement banquet. He had order the exact silverware, flowers, caters, and invitation cards as Hermione had used for her wedding. He wanted to at least say he did one thing perfect in his life.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7 – A week in the bottle**

Ron walked his last block before entering the secret entrance to the Quidditch museum from the Muggle streets. All the while remembering something he never could remember fully.

* * *

**A week after Harry and Hermione Potter's wedding**

Ron felt a bucket of soapy water splash all over his body. What he couldn't remember was how and from whom. He tried to look up at the practical joker but his vision was still blurry and his head was spinning. Not to mention he was listening to a lot of oinking noises in the background.

"He still stinks," commented a girlish voice that he thought he should've recognized.

"In more ways than one," commented a sarcastic Irish voice. "Get up you bloody wanker."

Ron wasn't sure but the strong grip that pulled him up seemed to make him think it was Oliver Wood.

"Ollie?" Ron asked with a very dry throat as if he hadn't a drink of water in months.

"Yeah Ron." Oliver reluctantly answered as he dragged Ron to only he knew what.

Ron didn't really want to talk, but his curiosity was greater than his thirst for a drink, at the moment. "Where am I?"

"You hear that Rosmerta, he wants to know where he is."

The angry pitch of Madam Rosmerta yelling at him was enough to clue him into know that he was probably at Three Broomsticks in Hogsmeade.

"Your pissed out of your wanker mind. You're damn lucky we found you in wallowing in that pig pen when we did. You would've frozen to death by morning. Oliver you tell him when he sobers up that this is a proper respectable place not for the likes of you, Prince."

Ron groaned at her using the name Prince and he was briefly about to mention that he was Ronald Weasley, but his need for something to drink now took priority.

'I need… something to drink."

Ron could tell from Oliver's chuckling and Rosmerta snickering that they weren't going to be helping him on that.

He felt a blast of heated air hit him then a heavy door slammed behind him and after a long walk up several flights of stairs he was finally pitched by Oliver on top of a fluffy bed. What he didn't realize was the fact that he wasn't in Hogsmeade. He knew he was at Hogwarts when he heard the unmistakable disapproval tone of Professor McGonagall.

"I see you finally found him."

"He was so pissed out of his mind that he wrapped his arm around a sleeping pig at old McCalisster's pig farm down the road." Commented Oliver to what happened with him.

Ron inwardly groaned and attempted to think of how he ended up in such a state.

"**Oh my dear, Merlin! **He smells like—" The voice that sounded like Madam Pomfrey said to him.

"Pig dung," answered a knowing Oliver Wood who didn't seem inclined to offer Ron some sympathy to whatever got him in this situation.

"Right. Mr. Wood, take him to the Prefect bathroom down the hall and – here let him drink this." Madam Pomfrey ordered from a distance.

Ron was able to sniff something even viler than himself, and even without his vision he was sure it was the potion for him to drink. He didn't even get a chance to argue as Oliver yanked him off the hospital bed and dragged him down the hall. To finish he was forced march into the Prefect bathroom and then was unceremoniously tossed into a warm pool - clothes and all.

He thought he was going to drown until Oliver reached down and pulled his head up above water. He didn't stay up long, where he was gasping for air till Oliver dunked him again.

"**Oi psst stop gak gak!**" Ron pleaded with Oliver while trying to catch his breath when he broke the surface again.

Oliver merely grunted back to him as he moved back to lean against the wall.

Ron felt the embarrassing need to ask. "What… happened?"

Oliver grunted again before he answered. "Which part? The part where you left your once playoff advancing Quidditch team or the part where you've been gone for over a week with everyone looking for you."

Ron outwardly groaned before remarking, "A week, how did I—"

"Right after the wedding would be my guess."

With that Ron remembered the last thing he did before blacking out. He had left the wedding reception without so much as a kiss or a word goodbye to Hermione and had made his way to the Three Broomsticks in Hogsmeade. His memories were a little bit foggy after that.

"Now drink this."

Ron didn't get a chance to refuse as Oliver popped the bottle into his throat and yanked his chin upward to drink. He was right about the potion being the viler of him with pig dung all over him. After Oliver popped the bottle out of his mouth Ron quickly gagged the part that he hadn't swallowed.

"Revolting." Ron remarked when he got the chance to speak after throwing up.

"I'll say," added Oliver as he left Ron alone in the bathroom.

To make matters worse he heard a soft giggling noise as his vision returned from a rather nefarious voice from his past. "Boys are so disgusting."

It was Moaning Myrtle and Ron quickly told her to get bloody lost. She nastily responded by diving into the water and splashing him as she left. He crawled out of the bath and made his soaking wet way back to the hospital bed. All the while wondering if Professor McGonagall couldn't give him detention since he graduated what could she do that would most definitely be worse.

He didn't know the answer until the next morning whenMadam Pomfrey released him from the hospital wing to report to the Headmistress. A part of his brain was screaming for him to make a run for it, but he was certain that he wouldn't get far.

He gingerly knocked on the Headmistress' Office door hoping that she wasn't in.

"**Come in, Mr. Weasley!**" Her voiced roared like a lion from inside her office.

The door swung open as Ron gulped in fear before marching in front of his old Head of House. Ron entered her office to find his concerned Dad sitting in a chair in front of the Headmistress.

Ron softly muttered, "Dad," and was overcome with joy to see a small smile spread across his face.

"Hello, son."

"Take a seat, Mr. Weasley." Ordered a stern looking Headmistress McGonagall from behind her desk. "I brought your father here to… ahem help you before your irrational behavior got further out of control."

Ron got a sense that Professor McGonagall wasn't as concerned about him doing what he did but more what he might do in the future. He also remembered that she always had a strong fondness toward Hermione more so than the rest of the trio. His dad on the other hand seemed to convey a separate message.

"Son, we're just worried about you. I know it must be rather difficult what with… " His dad paused as he didn't want to say the words aloud to him.

Ron however did. "Harry and Hermione… **_Potter_.**"

The room seemed to fall in a dead silence, as no one knew how to approach the subject with him. He took the time to look over the office and how much it changed since Professor Dumbledore was Headmaster. He managed to glimpse the sparkling glint off a sword above the fireplace.

_Godric Gryffindor's sword._ Ron thought as he moved out of his chair to hold it in his hands one more time.

However, right before he touched it Professor McGonagall shriek in warning for him not to touch it. "Mr. Weasley only a true Gry—"

Ron had picked it up before she finished her sentence and felt the warm magic flowing over him. He turned around to see the surprise look of Professor McGonagall and the pleased look of his Dad before speaking.

"I haven't seen this since I used it to strike He-who-must-not-be-named's stupid snake. Ripped his head right off with this."

"The big one that er… bite me?" His father inquired with a tint of red in his face as he no doubt remembered that he was almost killed by that very same snake.

"Yeah, it was one of the hor—"

"Mr. Weasley, so nice to see you again," interrupted the magical portrait of Headmaster Dumbledore.

Ron suddenly remembered his pledge never to tell anyone about the Horcruxes that he gave to Harry. The only problem was he now remembered he had already broken it by telling Oliver Wood all about it over a year ago. Not that he really cared about keeping his word to him anymore.

"Mr. Weasley about that," inquired the Headmistress who always seemed to have been out of the loop since Headmaster Dumbledore's death. "Would you be able to tell me what the three of you refuse to tell me since Albus's death?"

Ron rudely answered her as he put the sword back on top of the mantle where he gotten it down from. "I would think your beloved star pupil would've informed you of that. Is she the reason why you went looking for me?"

Ron could tell from the Headmistress surprised look that he wasn't far off the mark.

"Why don't you ask her?"

The Headmistress looked rather glum at his answer before trying again with him. "I understand from Wood that you spoke to him about this. He was rather sketchy on details as he wasn't quite ready to believe you, I'm afraid."

Ron nodded in understanding; after all to the world he was nothing more than a stupid sidekick.

"That's right." Ron cheekily responded as he took his seat again next to his dad. "To him and everyone else Harry bloody Potter saved all of us. Never mind the rest of us who sacrificed to help him out, nor the fact that…"

"Ronald - my boy," interrupted a concern Professor Dumbledore at his outspokenness. "Perhaps you might want to stop by the kitchens and—"

"Enough, Albus, I'm Headmistress now," McGonagall declared.

The portrait of Dumbledore respectfully nodded back to her and then quietly left his portrait.

"As I was saying before I would very much like to close the books on that part of the… well the things you three did." The Headmistress tried to eloquently say.

Ron thought it over to himself a part of him was dying to finally get some well-deserved recognition and the other part of him was cautious to knowingly break his word. It may have been childish or immature, what with so many people dying during the war, that he wanted to be remembered as playing an important part in defeating Voldemort. It was just unbearable to see Harry and Hermione being given so much press and publicity as if they were the only two that defeated Voldemort. It was as if he didn't existed and his ex-now married friends did nothing to dispel that myth.

-Click- -click-

Ron, his Dad, and the Headmistress all looked over to a tower window to see a familiar snow white Owl tapping on the window. The Headmistress wavered her wand to open the window and watched as Hedwig flew toward an incensed Ron.

Ron immediately took his wand out, as he realized Hedwig was about to deliver him a letter.

"**You bloody menace! You tell your stupid master he can go to hell!**" Ron bellowed before he shot off a stunning spell barely missing a startled Hedwig.

"**Ron stop**," shouted his Dad trying to grasp his arm holding his wand.

"Mr. Weasley, stop this instance." The Headmistress ordered looking outraged at his actions as Hedwig landed on her desk and was shivering in fear at Ron.

She reached over and retrieved Hedwig's letter that was addressed to him. "**Albus! Albus Dumbledore!**" She snarled at the empty portrait and seat of the former Headmaster who no doubt made an appearance at Harry's new mansion.

Her anger at the former Headmaster stopped when Ron spoke to her.

"It's a long story so get comfortable."

* * *

Ron left Hogwarts with his Dad after telling the Headmistress everything. From what Professor Dumbledore and Harry really did the night that he died to the day that he had left the Burrow for good. He even reluctantly told his Dad why he changed his last name to Prince. Then he told the Headmistress about his last meeting with Hermione at Blotts and Flourish before she got married. It really felt good to get everything off his chest and he was rather pleased to see a more impressed with him look from Headmistress McGonagall. She had no doubt been kept in the dark and told half-truths from her star pupil, Hermione. Still, he was more interested to know on how his father stood on the issues.

"Dad?"

"Yes son." His father replied but was keeping a straight-ahead look as they were walking toward the front gate.

He suddenly didn't know what to say to his father and he never finished his question until they reached the front gate.

"I'll be seeing you son." His dad said without actually looking at him.

"Wait."

Ron stood in the cold silence, as his Dad didn't really want to look at him. After a few more vacant seconds between them Ron nodded in understanding that his Dad was upset with him.

He so wanted to hug his father but the best he could do was to say, "I should be moving into a new apartment soon. You could come by. Or if you want I could buy some tickets—"

His father politely interrupted him, "Thank you, but … I'm been rather busy with the Ministry and all."

"Well… whenever you know." Ron felt empty and lost as he looked as his father.

His Dad looked over to him and made a small nod to him before Apparating away. Then Ron found himself standing alone for over a few minutes before Apparating back to his old apartment.

* * *

**Present Day**

Ron remembered that was the week he reported back to his old team to found out he had already gotten traded to another. The plus side to it all was he was given a huge signing bonus with the Cannons that helped him afford his new flat. The down side was he never saw his Dad again even after several attempts of free Box tickets and Father's day letters. He would always get the same reply back that he was too _busy at the Ministry working, sincerely Arthur Weasley_.

Ron wasn't surprised to see that same reply to his invitation to his retirement banquet.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8 – Full Circle**

Ron walked past various exhibits of old Quidditch uniforms and equipment toward the huge conference room in the back. He often joked to himself that the museum should carry a memorial to all the Quidditch groupies that helped Quidditch players throughout the years more so than their equipment. He wouldn't had made it this far without the numerous and attractive woman that shared a night with Ron Prince. Not that he was with them for something like an act of conquest, no with him it was purely survival. Each one lessened his pain if only for a night and made it possible for him to carry on. It seemed fitting at his retirement that he mention their contributions, but he had long since learned the hard lesson about love. She was a double-edge sword.

* * *

**After winning his first League Cup**

Ron was literally having the best time of his life. After almost over a century the Chudley Cannons had finally won the League Cup again. Not only that but he was the Starting Keeper that had played brilliantly. The score was so far out of reach at 370 – 20 that after eight hours of play the opposing Seeker had no choice but to stop the game by catching the Golden Snitch. Ron Prince was hailed as a hero and the Most Valuable Player. The only dark cloud to it all was the empty box seats that he had bought for his Dad.

"**Ron, you were brilliant!**" Oliver his coach shouted at him in celebration before pouring Butterbeer all over his head.

Oliver and him had finally become good friends over the years of them playing together as coach and player.

"**We did it - Ollie!**" Ron screamed as he grabbed Oliver in a bear hug and lifted him up in happy celebration.

"**Ha-ha!** **You pig dung you were brilliant!**" Oliver teased him as the popping noise of flashing cameras and shouts were heard throughout the winning locker room.

"Mr. Prince did you have any doubt being underdogs that you could win the League Cup?" A sports reporter from the Daily Prophet shouted over to him.

"**With Ollie here as coach and this team – Never!**" Ron roared back to him.

"**Mr. Prince, are you going to celebrate with Miss Witch of the Year, Amy Brantley!**" A gossip column writer shouted to him.

Ron felt his face turn red as he remembered the last time he spent the night with Amy. He barely got a moment of sleep and had the nail marks on his back to prove it.

"I'm not sure, I have to ask her—"

Ron never got to finish his answer as the next reporter's nasal voice interrupted him.

"Have you heard about the Chosen one and his wife having a new baby?"

The smile instantly disappeared off his face as he looked through the crowd of reporters to see the smug looking face of Rita Skeeter.

Ron tried to play it off as he lied, "No, I haven't."

The truth was he had heard and read about it. How could he have not heard of it seeing how it had been in all the papers for the last three months.

"I understand that you and Mrs. Potter were –"

Ron gulped in fear at what she was about to say with all the reporters watching him.

"**That's enough questions for today! Sorry!** We will have a proper press conference tomorrow." Oliver interjected as he pushed Ron toward the showers before Rita could finish her question.

Rita squinted her eyes in anger at Oliver as no doubt a proper press conference excluded her.

Ron sought sanctuary inside the showers as images of Hermione being pregnant came to him. She was about to deliver any day and he had been keeping busy with one groupie or another to keep his mind off that before the Championship game. It had so far worked and he realized he have to go strolling for another one tonight.

Luckily, winning League cups makes you very popular and he spent the night with a cute red hair Irish girl by the name of Sarah. By the time, he woke up in the morning he found her already dressing to leave.

"So…" Ron never really knew what to say in the morning.

Sarah turned around and smiled at him as she pulled her skirt back on. "You were really great last night."

Ron smiled at the compliment and the sight of a beautiful woman dressing in front of him.

"You know you don't have to leave… I mean if you want to hang out or something." Ron offered without trying to sound too needy.

Sarah stopped putting on her clothes for a second then rather quickly replied, "Wow – that would be great, but I really, really got to be going." She quickly picked up her purse and was making a bolt for the door.

Ron groaned as he muttered, "Yeah, maybe next time."

Sarah wasn't the first in fact it had been a long list of girls who rarely came over twice. Oliver told him it was a part of the mystique with women to date Quidditch players. The same thing women did with Gladiators in Ancient Roman time. A quick shag and even quicker retreat back to their old boyfriends.

It helped Ron with lonely nights but it never helped him with even lonelier days that he had off. He tried to go steady with several girls, it just never panned out as they were more interested in a shag then a more meaningful relationship. Ron was beginning to wonder if he was cursed or something and it didn't help that his ex-best friends were living in a marriage with a kid on the way. Like he was still a kid growing up and his ex-friends had moved on to adulthood.

By the time he ate breakfast by himself instead of reading the front-page headline of him winning the League Cup; he read that Mr. and Mrs. Potter delivered a seven-pound boy on November 9th. The picture showed Harry beaming in pride while next to a sweating bushy hair Hermione who was also smiling as she cradled her new son on her hospital bed at St. Mungo's.

Ron closed his eyes as if another part of his soul was lost before he felt an overwhelming desire to go see her. He grabbed his cloak and his wand before he Apparated to the hospital.

It didn't take long to find them as numerous visitors and dignitaries were visiting them as well. He barely managed to stick his head pass the numerous reporters and hospital staff to see his own father and mother holding the new baby in their arms inside the private hospital delivery room. Hermione was smiling as she watched his Dad and Mum while Harry was handing out pats and cigars to everyone that visited.

Ron immediately took off in the opposite direction and managed to bump into Percy his brother as he left.

"Ow - excuse me." Percy barked wanting an apology for Ron bumping into him as he was leaving.

Ron determinedly said nothing, as Percy didn't recognize him with black hair. Instead, he made a beeline straight out of St. Mungo without saying a word. He ended up at the bottom of a fire-whiskey bottle where Oliver found him two days later. Shortly, thereafter Oliver checked him into a rehab facility where he spent the next two months learning that alcohol wasn't a way to solve his problems. What he never did learn from the rehab was what would solve his problems.

The only answer he could come up with was meaningless nights with several women to keep his sanity.

* * *

**Present Day**

Ron opened the doors to the banquet hall to find himself early and the hall mainly deserted except for an odd fan here and there looking for an autograph. He had learned over the years to hide his true feelings and he slowly walked over to speak with the few fans that had showed up early. He smiled as they took pictures and talked with him all the while realizing that tonight he was no longer going to be lonely.


	9. Chapter 9

**Author's Note: _I want to think everyone that reviewed and followed this story. First let me explain a few things about Ron. His sin is Pride. Toward himself and against his own family and friends. His father saw it when Ron broke his word with Harry and told Professor McGonagall and himself about the Horcruxes. Ron did it in order to gain much needed acceptance and fame for his own actions during the war. Two things that Mr. Weasley wouldn't agree with as he's a very honest and humble man. Mr. Weasley saw not only the weakness in his son but also the look of betrayal with Ron changing his last name and his own hair color. Ron, of course, did this to survive and prosper in Quidditch, but his father felt as if he lost a son over it. Instead Mr. Weasley focused all his time with his family that Harry and Hermione was very much a member of._**

**_Now I readily admit I'm not a fan of Harry Hermione stories and I always failed to see how so many people failed to notice the Anvil-size clues in the books. However, I say to each their own and I won't begrudge denying them to write a Harry Hermione fic or even a Draco Hermione fic. My only concern or wish would be that future writers portray the realistic actions of the trio in cases involving AU shipping fics. _**

**_As in Ron will be furious, Ginny will be heartbroken, and Harry may well never be invited back to the Burrow ever again. This is the flip side of the coin to Romance - heartbrake. I only ask that authors spend the extra energy and honesty to write about that too._ **

* * *

**Chapter 9 – Last Speech**

Ron settled in next to his agent, Stan Lipinski, at the head table and tried to not notice an empty table in the front that was reserved for his father and family. Nor that the banquet was only half full of various fellow teammates, owners and a few of their yes men, sports reporters, and an occasional fan. Ron Prince was no longer the celebrated star of Quidditch after numerous trips to the hospital for various on-field injuries. Quite simply as he looked around he knew he was yesterday's news. It really didn't disappoint him as much since he always felt that he never got the recognition that he deserved.

Even history books seemed to be in on the conspiracy as not a single one mentioned him at all. The biggest insult had to been the ten-year celebration of the fall of He-who-must-not-be-Named to which he didn't even receive an invitation. To further add insult to injury Harry nor Hermione never once mentioned him at all over the years to various Press interviews about the war. As for Professor McGonagall and his Dad also knowing the truth about what happen neither were speaking to him about it or anyone else for that matter. The world simply wanted to believe in their hero, Harry bloody Potter, sidekicks be damned.

Ron seemed to be growing more resolute about taking his drought than he was in the morning. He had enough and if the world wanted him dead so be it. He wasn't afraid, he was a true Gryffindor and he would prove it tonight.

"With that I wish to hand over the podium to Mr. Ron Prince." His agent announced as he tapped him on the leg to regain his attention.

A roar of clapping broke out from the fans and his ex-teammates as Ron slowly stood up and moved over to the podium.

"**Thank you, thank you!**" Ron said as everyone that was present set down. "I want to thank everyone that came and those that couldn't."

He took one last look at the empty front table to see a small sign that read Reserved for Mr. and Mrs. Weasley.

"I know it would be tough for some of you to make it tonight, but I'm happy that you made it without having to pay too many Muggle London tolls."

The crowd started to chuckle as Ron moved on with his prepared speech. "I've had a long and successful career that's shown me many adversities. Many nights and days I have spent in the hospital, the practice fields, and even more time with various charities."

It was his agents and Oliver's idea for him to spend more time in charity work to keep him busy in the off-season. He was a regular volunteer at the War Orphanage and found it a place that was generally worse off then he was. He wasn't the person in the room with the biggest problems and it helped him to stay focus throughout the later years of his career as he helped various children get adopted to a loving Magical or Muggle couple. He tried adopting himself but being single he wasn't eligible. He remembered the last rejection notice from the Ministry of Magic as being the final straw that made him brew up the draught that he would drink tonight.

"Through it all I had the guidance of a great coach and friend, Oliver Wood." A small round of clapping broke out as Ron pointed to an empty seat at the head table that was reserved for him. "Unfortunately, he couldn't be here tonight but he's here in spirit as are so many people…" Ron took another look down at the empty table where his father was supposed to be. The impulse made him jump off script.

"Family… you never realize what it means to you until it's stolen away from you. Kind of like a lost love really."

The audience seemed rather stunned at what Ron was saying as they looked at one another in silence.

"Lost love hmmm… just doesn't fully describe the impact of it does it. I mean on the one hand you could say betrayal from your best mate is bad, but the fact that you lost the love of your life – **I mean no comparison!**" Ron was madly swinging his hand across, as he said no comparison. "**It just feels like this open hole to your heart every stinking day!**"

The audience was completely lost as they were watching Ron ranting.

"It just happened. Can you believe that? It just -- happened. No explanation as too really why. He just makes her feel safer. Odd, as I was always the first to defend her. Nope, he's the Chosen One and I'm just the goofy poor sidekick. Apparently it was my job to drag his sorry arse back for him to live and steal my girlfriend."

The audience broke out in whispering as they finally recognized whom Ron was actually talking about.

"Don't get me wrong we argued we fought… all couples do. I could make her laugh, I could make her cry and he -- no, not him. She would be on some Free the Elves thing and he felt the exact same thing as I felt about her and she never once got mad at what he would say to her. He would snap off at her and it was like it didn't even upset her. Although I say something and it's a row to end all rows."

Ron was holding on to the podium with both hands like it was a broomstick in flight.

"It just happened, sorry Ron. It's not like you broken my heart and he broke my dear sister's heart – **noo!** Not to mention that my family was snatched away from me as no one in their blood right mind would want **me versus Harry bloody Potter!**"

The whispering stopped as gasps were heard throughout the Banquet Hall.

"Oh that's right he's your bloody hero. Our savior. Tell me don't you think it strange how a boy wizard managed to survive all those scrapes with Voldemort?"

The audience really gasped and shrieked at Ron for mentioning his name in public.

"**Hey, you leave the Chosen One alone!**" yelled someone that Ron couldn't see.

"Why, I'm his Best Mate. I stood beside him as he fought Voldemort. The real reason why he always made it out alive was because everyone else around him would sacrifice himself or herself for him: His Mum and Dad, Sirius his godfather, Professor Dumbledore, Hermione, and even me."

The audience seemed to scoff at this and he wasn't the least bit surprised.

"My real name is Ronald Weasley."

The audience noise grew silent as not many people recognized the name, but seemed to recognize the family name of Weasley as having being close to the Potters.

"Of course, none of you would care that I was one. No one does, not even my own father and mother who didn't even bother to show up tonight." Ron said as he pointed at the empty front table. "Regular black sheep of the family I am. All because I didn't want Harry bloody Potter in it. All my life I've had to put up with Harry Potter this and Harry Potter that and I have to tell you it was tough. There was sometimes there I really didn't like the git. I had to look past that and see the real Harry. He was the one I could trust to have my back and I his. I would've done anything for him, including giving my own life for him."

The audience was now stunned at his declaration as they all listened to his every word.

"He was a really, really great friend, but then he… he stole the love of my life." Ron said to them as he was chocking on his own words.

"I shouldn't really be too mad at him. I understand he's a good husband and father and definitely a better provider than I ever could've been. He's certainly a better choice than I am even if I do love her more than he does. You really can't blame her or him on that."

A brief pause as Ron pulled out his bottle of Eternal Sleep Drought from his robe.

"So let's all make a toast to Harry bloody Potter, the best mate a guy could ever have and to Lost love." Ron popped the cork on the bottle and then lifted it high for everyone to see.

"**To you Harry Potter, my family, and especially my Lost Love!**" Ron declared his last words before drinking the bottle.

As if the second he tasted the liquid racing into his body he felt the world spinning.

"**Nooo!**" screamed a familiar voice.

Ron's vision was slowly closing around him as he fell down off the podium and listened to the rustling of bodies moving away and toward him.

He wasn't sure if it was a hallucination of the draught, or a crying Hermione racing to his side. Either way he felt happy that someone was holding his hand as he took his last breath.


	10. Chapter 10

**Author's Note:** _For over a year I've held on to two epilogue chapters that whenever I got a review I would get reminiscence by going back to read these two chapters. Sort of my own little conclusion to all the missing answers. _

_I would like to say in response to all my reviewers. Thank you for your reviews, good and bad. With that being said there was a few misconception about my fic. One reviewer credited me for doing the exact same thing that I was writing against. Which is the killing off Ron for there to be a Harry Hermione ship. On the contrary, I killed Ron years after Harry and Hermione dated, married, and then had kids. Simply put, Harry's and Hermione's relationship was well established with a non-evil, alive, and in-character Ronald Weasley. _

_Now I never did write Ron as being strong in fact I wrote him with an underlining weakness of pride, loneliness, and self-pity. I've always found this to be a staple of Ron's character at how he would find himself always being second-best with either the things that he owns or being in the shadows of his brothers and Harry. Since this is a Harry Hermione story I multiplied that weakness by a factor of two… okay maybe ten, but you would have to understand that if he lost Hermione to Harry as most Harry Hermione shippers believe will happen it would dramatically affect Ron. He wouldn't be the same and neither would the trio's relationship. Added to that is the loss of his family that shunned him and it's not to hard to understand why he killed himself. Many of today suicides are attribute to the victim's feeling as if they are completely alone and lost._

_It was also odd to being flamed that I was a bit rough on Ron. I don't think they grasped the concept that I'm a Ron and Hermione shipper. That and this fic is posted under Angst/Suspense. _

_Anyway, I wrote two epilogues. This one is where everybody is made accountable for their own actions. A not-so-subtle Ron gets even chapter. The second epilogue is more in-tune with this story and is a bit more realistic. Either way, I hope you enjoy these chapters. _

* * *

**Epilogue – After Death**

* * *

Rita Skeeter seemed to be almost jubilant as Oliver Wood summarized the last month since Ron's funeral.

"It's still a shock. I mean… I knew him better than most and he had his inner demons but I… I still can't believe he did it."

Rita bounced in to his thoughts to ask him directly, "Do you suppose the guilty fault lies mainly with the Potters' or more toward Mrs. Potter?"

Oliver shook his head as he disregarded the direction where Rita was heading with that.

"No, with Ron I guess you could say it was a combination of things that led him to kill himself. Family for one, you should've seen it after we inspected his flat and found all those letters, invitations, and free box tickets he sent to his father over the years. We counted it up to over sixty letters and invites and on each one we found the same reply to each of them that his father was too busy at the Ministry. **Humph!**"

Oliver had nothing but contempt for the Weasleys' Patriarch who worked in a trivial Ministry office that investigated what he understood to be nothing more than Illegal Magical lawnmowers and petty Muggle-bating. After all, Mr. Weasley's job was nothing more than a paper pushing eight am to five pm job and most of their Quidditch games were at night.

"I see you find Ron's father, a Mr. Arthur Weasley, excuses to be nothing more than—"Rita asked as her magical quill was frantically scribbling beside her.

Oliver still feeling the sting and loss of his former player and friend felt especially condemnation toward Ron's self-righteous and absent father not to mention the entire Weasley clan.

"**Dung!**" Oliver added to the pleasure of Rita who looked over at her magical quill and parchment to make sure it wrote his last comment.

"I mean how bloody important is it to stay late pushing paper while your son is playing starting Keeper at the League Cup Championship. You'll never get me to believe that in a million years."

Rita's magical quill was in overdrive as it wrote every word that Oliver was saying. As for Rita she was looking more and more thrilled as the interview went on.

"So besides his Family what part would you say Mrs. Potter played in all this?" Rita inquired as her and the quill leaned forward toward Oliver.

Oliver didn't even hesitate as he answered. "**Plenty!** She the reason why Ron would go on some many round-abouts—"

"Excuse me? Round-abouts?" Rita interjected at a loss as to what Oliver meant.

"**Binges!** He got pissed every time he saw Mrs. Potter in the daily doing interviews or having her baby. When she got married to Mr. Potter… I mean Harry, well he… he drowned his sorrows in a bottle for over a week and it wasn't until we found—"

Rita broke in to excitedly asked, "So you're saying Ron Prince's entire drinking problem was indirectly due to Mrs. Potter?"

There seemed to be a long pause as the magical quill stopped scribbling and magically hung in the air waiting for his answer. Not only that, but Rita seemed to be holding her breath as well.

"Well… er yes." Oliver answered truthfully.

The Quill swished down on the paper and was scribbling furiously as page after page filled up from his one word answer.

"What exactly are you writing there," Oliver inquired knowing full well that Rita has a track record of slander and lies.

Rita breathing again looked as if she won a prize smoothly responded back, "Nothing dear. I promise every word that you say will be unaltered or changed in any way. Now is there anything else that you wish to say the Potters' were responsible for?"

"Well… I mean – don't get me wrong I like Harry and all."

The quill did not even bother to write anything as Rita looked disgusted with the thought and whispered as much to the quill. "Don't even bother writing that down."

Oliver however continued. "I just think… I mean, Ron told me about Harry stealing his girl and all. I just never really thought about it from his point of view."

Rita as if eyeing a bigger fish immediately followed up with Oliver. "**SO!** What you are saying is that Ron Prince was very upset with Mr. Potter for stealing his girlfriend. Can you explain more about this?"

The quill was steady on the parchment waiting to write every word he said.

"Er yeah. Well Ron, sort of saved Harry's life—"

"Was this before or after he stole his girlfriend?" Rita interjected.

"Before, Ron was there at the final battle with He-who-must-not-be-name fighting right alongside Harry."

Rita wanted to add something more to this. "Isn't it odd how Mr. Potter never once admitted to this fact during all those interviews and speeches he's given over the years about that? Do you think it's his constant need for attention and publicity or perhaps he's was trying to cowardly hide the truth?"

"Well I don't think—"

"So, Mr. Ron Prince fights alongside the Chosen one and then what happened?" Rita asked before Oliver could finish.

Admittedly, Oliver was getting a bit steamed about the way Rita was leading the interview and if it wasn't for the Chocolate Frog Company pushing him to give press interviews about Ron before they would awarded Ron posthumously with a Magical card with his name and picture on it he would've told Rita to go stuff the Quill up her arse. Still for Ron's sake he continued on.

"He saved his life and then he found out in the hospital that Harry and his girlfriend, Mrs. Potter had been having an affair right under his nose."

Rita looked as if she had won the Daily Prophet sweepstakes. "You're telling me that Harry Potter was cheating—," Rita emphasized the word cheating and Oliver even noticed that the Quill was underlining the word twice. "—with Mrs. Potter all the while his Best Mate, Ron Prince, was fighting alongside him and then even after saving his life."

Oliver even had to admit when you said it like that it did sound rather bad thing for Harry to do. Reluctantly, he answered the truth.

"Yes, Ron found about the two of them on Harry's hospital bed."

Rita seemed almost in utopia as she packed up her purse and her magical Quill and parchment before addressing Oliver again.

"I must say Mr. Woods that this has been one of the most productive interviews I ever had. I dare say it's sure to win me—"

Oliver stopped her, as he was now feeling a bit foolish after Rita had ended the interview so quickly. "I better not read anything that I didn't say against Harry or even the Weasleys'."

Rita, still in a state of bliss, softly patted Oliver on his face as she warmly promised. "Don't you worry love, I promise when you read the front pages tomorrow it will have nothing but the truth about everything you said."

* * *

"Why that little – **ARRGGH!**" Oliver shouted at his breakfast table with his kids and wife across from him.

He slammed the Daily Prophet newspaper down to the table before addressing the concern stare from his wife.

"Rita Skitter, that's what." Oliver explained and was immediately answered with a non-verbal understanding from his wife.

"What did she lie about this time?" His wife asked as she sipped on her morning coffee.

Oliver had to admit that this time the problem wasn't it was a lie; in fact it was the truth.

"She wrote about Ron and—"

"Ron?" His youngest son inquired as he had been a huge fan of Ron's every since his first Christmas visit with his family.

This was the part he hated worst of all, explaining to his six-year-old son about Uncle Ron's death. "I'm sorry, son. Like I told you before Uncle Ron has past away."

"Will Uncle Ron ever come back?"

Oliver felt like he fallen off his broom as his youngest son was looking up at him with his baby blue eyes and a face that had huge anticipation across it.

"No, I'm sorry son."

His son looked down at his breakfast plate in disappointment before asking to be excused from the table. Oliver inwardly groaned as he also remembered when he was young and lost one of his Quidditch heroes too.

"He's been like that every time you mention his name." His wife sadly informed him.

"I know, Sarah, but what can I do."

Sarah, albeit a smarter witch then he would ever be, answered with a bit of an uneven voice. "I keep thinking of all those times that he told us during dinners about the truth and we didn't believe him. I could just—"

Oliver stopped her before she could berate herself anymore by showing her the morning paper of the Daily Prophet. "You're not the only one. Here, look. Harry and the Weasleys will be getting a few Howlers this morning I dare say."

Sarah had briskly read most of the columns on the front page including the exclusive interview of him with Rita Skeeter.

"Merlin, I must say I can't fault her for lying this time. Still, it seems her and the rest of the news press are –"

"Not only will they, but the sport press too. You know how they idolized retired Quidditch players and Quidditch Hall of Famers'. Ron was a cinch to be inducted next year and the sport press won't take kindly to their hero's being treated badly."

"So you're saying… even the Chosen One?" Sarah judgmentally asked, as she couldn't imagine them going negative against Harry Potter.

"Yes. Especially, Harry. A good many of them were there that night at Ron's retirement. They heard him speak about how Harry was always being saved by other people's lives. Therefore, as far as the sport press is concerned it's as if Harry was being selfish for not sacrificing for the team. As if—"

"--he wasn't a team player? Honestly, does everything have to boil down to Quidditch with them?" Sarah exasperatedly interrupted with her anger for sports columnists and reporters.

"Humph," answered Oliver knowing that Sarah already knew the answer to that.

"I see they even managed to mention how Mrs. Potter has been mentally unstable in St. Mungo's ward since Ron's death."

Oliver frowned a little at that before adding, "I wouldn't be too surprised if Rita hadn't slipped her a paper with her morning pills."

"Yes, well – I'm not too sure how I feel about that either." Sarah answered, surprising even him.

He pointedly looked at her before she replied again. "I'm not exactly caring for poor Mrs. Hermione Potter at the moment. What with Ron passing and all. Far as I'm concerned she's one of those _types_ of women that deserve to suffer."

Oliver disagreed but wisely said nothing more on the subject as his wife was determined not to give the Potters' or the Weasley's an ounce of sympathy. In fact by the end of the week neither were the Magical community as a whole. The sports and news columnist had a field day slandering both the Weasleys' and the Chosen One and the newly appointed Scarlet One. It had gotten so bad that two days after Oliver's interview was published that Mr. Weasley had to retire from the Ministry. His entire office was reorganized inside the Department of Magical Law Enforcement without so much as a word from him about it. His brief and poorly attended retirement ceremony at the Ministry was publicly mocked with letters from several thousand of irate Quidditch fans writing that they were too busy to attend. They even went so far as to mock poor Mrs. Weasley as she had especially taken the lost of her son rather hard. Apparently gone was her status of respectability in the Magical Community and even within her own knitting circle as they also vilified her in the press with cruel statements like, "I guess she thought she could upgrade her position by trading her own son in for the Chosen One."

She wasn't the only one that suffered greatly from the press and the wizard community. Percy Weasley was humiliatingly demoted from the personal staff of the Minister down to a small desk job of working with Trolls. The Weasleys Wizards Wheezes shop owned by his two former house teammates at Hogwarts, Fred and George Weasley, suffered a huge lost too. They were ordered closed by the Ministry a few days after their father's retirement pending an investigation into several items that they manufactured and sold. All in account of the press was quick to suggest that Mr. Weasley was knowingly responsible for turning a blind eye on the items that his twins' sons sold. It didn't help the Weasley's cause when many of the joke items that they sold ended up being used as Muggles-baiting by other wizards. After that libel suggestion from the press and the subsequent investigation from the Ministry of Magic it didn't take long for the Ministry Law Enforcement to find out that they were instead guilty of violating numerous importing and exporting laws on restricted magical beasts, including a few dangerous items from rare magical endangered beasts.

Oliver frowned at the strong possibility that the twins would be serving six months to a year in Azkaban.

As for his friend and former teammate, Harry Potter, it seemed that his hero status as the Chosen One had greatly diminished in the eyes of the world. He was forced to work a desk job at the Ministry, as no other Auror would partner with him out of fear of being killed or ending up labeled a sidekick like Ron Prince. Rita Skeeter even got one of them to say anonymously, "Harry Potter is no special than you or me and for him to always take the glory like he owns it, forget that! I'm not ending up dead or Ron Prince by him." Oddly enough, Harry never complained and seemed to take it as punishment for his past deeds.

As for poor Mrs. Potter, she was finally released two weeks later from St Mungo's Insanity ward to her family. During her release she had refused to make a single comment to any of the news reporters waiting outside. Except maybe to Rita Skeeter for she did make a face of pure hate and loathing when Rita asked her if she read any good interviews lately. Oliver was willing to make a guess that Rita did indeed sneak a newspaper in for her to read during her recovery. For whatever reason, Rita seemed to had made her revenge against Mrs. Potter.

The only good thing that came out of his interview was the posthumous award of a Chocolate Frog Card to Ron "Prince" Weasley. The card displayed a smiling moving picture of Ron playing Keeper. Whenever you tilted the card in the light one way his hair would turn black and the other way it would turn red. Oliver was even awarded the very first one magically printed. He immediately sealed it in a picture frame and gave it to his son to remember his "Uncle Ron" with. Presently, it was on top of his son's nightstand beside another picture of Ron and him holding up their first won League Cup. Every now and then, Oliver, after tucking in his son for bed, would pick it up to read the inscription on the card.

**Ron "Weasley" Prince**

_March 1, 1980 – November 6, 2013_

_Professional Quidditch Keeper, Non-decorated War Hero, Volunteer and Principal Benefactor to the Ron Prince War Orphanage, and a good friend._


	11. Chapter 11

**Author's Note:** _I don't think you Harry Hermione shippers are getting the point of this story. A few of you in fact have been critical of how poorly I treated Ron. Saying that he shouldn't be bitter at Harry Hermione for dating and getting married. What you fail to notice is the five-ton pink elephant in the room that is called Weasley Pride. Now hear this: **Ron will NOT be okay with Harry dating Hermione**. He wasn't when Victor dated Hermione, he wasn't when Cormac dated Hermione, and he definitely will not be okay with Harry dating Hermione. _

_There will be no Trio, there will be no friendship, there will be no invites over to the Burrow, there will be no pretend that everything is perfectly okay. You can't keep contradicting yourself by saying Ron is completely immature and yet he will be perfectly mature enough to get over a Harry Hermione relationship. It makes no sense. Two Laws cannot contradict one another. Plain and simple. _

_Let's be honest with ourselves, if you ship Harry Hermione you basically do NOT like Ronald Weasley. So I fail to understand why none of you can write one simple in-character line of: "Ron was extremely jealous and refused to talk or associate with either Harry or Hermione for the rest of the time he was at Hogwarts." Done… Finished… That's it… That's all you have to say. It's not like you enjoyed writing Ron Weasley in the first place. So go ahead and write that little one line down in your fic so you can completely remove him from the rest of your story without being super AU. It just made your story ten times more realistic by showing heartache and jealousy._

_By the way, I normally post under the penname of BuckNC. A lot of you readers seem to think that this is my first and only fic. It's not. I'm the author of a Pro-Ron and Hermione fic called DragonHeart. _

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_This last chapter was one I felt more accurately closed the book on my story. This chapter left everything as a tragedy, that's what heartache, and lost love is all about. _

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**Epilogue 2 – Gravesite visit**

It was cold and wet as usual, sighed the woman carrying flowers as she walked past the rows of tombstones after tombstones. She grudgingly continued as she gazed through the drizzling rain to see the tombstone of her destination. The dull grey granite tombstone bore no statue or marble to distinguish it from the others in fact it blended into the background as un-interesting. Often she herself had to remember that it was the sixth tombstone on the seventh row. A fact that wasn't lost upon her as to why the owner of said crypt chosen this very spot. He was describing himself as the lost sixth child in a family of seven magical children. What made it even more tragic was the way the grounds and the tombstone was unvisited and unkempt through neglect by a world that had little time to remember the past.

"Ron," whispered Ginny Longbottom to the gravesite of her older brother on the fifth year anniversary of his death.

Ginny listened to nothing but the rain as she thought of her older brother, Ronald Weasley.

**Ron "Prince" Weasley**

**March 1, 1980 – November 6, 2013**

**Professional Quidditch Keeper, War Veteran, and Benefactor to the War Orphanage**

"I thought I might stop by and pay my respects," spoke Ginny as her lipped trembled and she fought to keep from crying. "Oh Ron… I miss you."

Ginny always felt cold whenever she made her yearly visits to Ron's gravesites. She was certain it was from the guilt that she carried since he left the Burrow so many years past.

"You'll … you'll be happy to know that you're an uncle again. I'm expecting to deliver in about six months." Ginny declared with a small smile as she imagined that she was carrying a conversation with Ron. "Neville is thrilled of course, as for me I would very much like for this to be my last. Cause I have no attention of raising seven kids like Mum. Merlin, not in a million years or Neville is going to find his bits hexed off if I ever have to wear another maternity dress after this one. I look like a swollen tomato."

Ginny even smirked at her cheek about herself.

"Not to mention I already have to deal with Mum and Dad going on and on again about raising little Ronnie. Just last week he accidentally broke Mum's new china teapot playing with Fred and George's kids. Ha! Fred even defended him saying that he was rightfully named after you. Ha! Mum just frowned and looked guilty before magically repairing the china."

The story painfully reminded her of when Ron destroyed their Mum's old china cabinet before he left the Burrow forever.

"I… I never did tell you how I felt when you stood up to Mum that day." Ginny spoke then paused as she gathered the courage to confess. "At first, I was grateful that you tried to stop Harry from staying with us and then…"

She paused again as a small tear started to roll down her cheek.

"I was upset with you for hurting … hurting Harry. Merlin, after all that he did to you and me… I still loved him. A part of me still does - first love and all." Ginny wiped off the tears as she continued to confess to Ron's grave. "I knew exactly how you felt whenever I saw an article of them in the Prophet. If it wasn't for Neville or Mum being overbearing I would've gone around the binge too."

She wiped her face from the rain and tears before speaking with her lost brother again.

"I have some more good news the Cannons are going to retire your numbers at the beginning of the season. It's a huge honor, Ron, and I know you're very proud."

The leaves rustled a bit from the wind and rain.

"They uh… they want Oliver to announce it. He agreed and I'll be there too with little Ronnie watching. That will be good. I uh… I should tell you that Hermione is working at the War Orphanage now." Ginny cleared her throat before speaking again. "She told me as much when she visited the other day. She looks good. Well as good as she normally looks; she never was as pretty as one of those models that you dated."

The temperature dropped a bit as Ginny bent down and laid the flowers on his grave. She also happened to catch a glance of a tall dark stranger wearing a black cloak and shawl shifting behind a tree nearby. She had a feeling the person was waiting on her to finish.

"I think you might have a visitor, so I'll be leaving now. Goodbye Ron, I love you brother."

Ginny slowly turned around and walked the same path back the way she came in and only hesitated near the tree that the stranger was hiding behind.

"Hello, Mrs. Potter." She said stiffly not even being polite enough to call her by her first name.

The stranger didn't reply back to confirm her suspicions but the silence between them was all she needed. Ginny continued walking away and only stopped to glance back at the stranger walking toward Ron's grave with a red rose in her hand.

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**A/N:** _5 more months till Book 7. Tick tock, tick tock, tick tock..._


End file.
